TAVARES — A six-member circuit court jury -- hearing evidence in the manslaughter trial of a man charged in the 1982 death of an 11-year-old school girl -- on Thursday visited the accident scene where her school bus dropped the girl off in front of her house.

The defendant, D.N. Patel, 44, Childress Texas, is charged with manslaughter by culpable negligence in the death of Kimberly Ann Flayac, who exited the school bus and stepped in front of Patel's car.

The jury left the Lake County Courthouse and traveled to State Road 50 near the Sumter County community of Linden, where the Webster Elementary School student lived.

State and defense attorneys rested their cases Thursday. If convicted, Patel could be sentenced to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The charge against Patel was dismissed once by a circuit judge who said the bus design and actions of the driver were contributors to the girl's death. The local court ruling was reversed by the Fifth District Court of Appeal and a trial was ordered.

During Thursday's testimony Florida Highway Patrol Trooper R.N. Drawdy, who investigated the accident, said the driver of the school bus and another motorist contributed to the girl's death.

Because of the contributing circumstances Drawdy did not recommend Patel be charged with manslaughter when he filed his 1982 accident report, defense attorneys said.

The Florida Department of Education ordered changes made to every school bus purchased in the state after officials learned about the details of the Sumter County bus accident.

Those changes -- made nine months after Flayac's death -- keep bus drivers from operating flip-out stop signs on buses by opening the door. With the new safety requirements, drivers must manually operate a switch that flips the sign out and warns traffic to stop.

The bus driver, Wilma Revells, testified earlier in the trial that she ''cracked the door'' to operate the stop sign and turn on the flashing red warning signals just moments before the accident.

She also testified that Flayac, who was standing by the door, jumped down and ran into the path of Patel's car as soon as the door opened and the stop sign flipped out.

Revells testified Wednesday that she had stopped the bus and had turned on its amber flashing lights but purposely hesitated to activate the red lights and stop sign so that a semitrailer could pass the bus.

The truck driver could not be found to testify during the trial this week but he testified in the 1983 trial -- which resulted in the dismissal of the charge -- that Revells stuck her arm out the window and waved him around. Revells denies that.

Revells testified she did not see Patel's car until the girl was already in front of the bus and about to cross the road.

Patel testified Thursday that he hesitated before passing the bus to make sure traffic was clear and then proceeded around the bus while the amber lights were still flashing.

Revells -- who was reminded that in her previous testimony she said Patel began passing her bus while the amber caution lights were still flashing and before the red lights and stop sign came on -- said Wednesday she could not remember that testimony.